The Boy on the Hill
by VioletStrike
Summary: Edward never leaves the hill near the Rockbell's. Not since what happened. Nor has he spoken a word. For two years. But perhaps Lily, the new girl in Resembool, can help. Not a great summary, I know. Read and Review. AU.
1. Introduction

**AN: Hello everyone! Ok, this is my first FMA fic. I've been obsessing over this since December and I've finally come up with a stable fanfic idea for it. I'm really stuck in my other two Danny Phantom fanfics, so I'm hoping that if I start writing this, it'll help me get out of my massive writer's block that's been going on for, oh I don't know, EVER! So yeah, I hope you like it. I like doing these Alternate Universe, "What if…?" fics. They're my favorite! Anyway, read and review. (I love reviews to death, BTW. If I don't get enough of them, I…..well, we'll tackle that when we get there. Sorry, **_**if **_**we get there. Which we won't….right? Lol.) **

"**The Boy on the Hill"**

**By: PhantomPhorever16**

**Introduction**

"No…." Edward gasped, taking in short, jagged breaths as fast as he could. His chest and stomach felt as though they would give out at any moment, they were causing him so much pain. His vision was blurring, and not just from the mixture of the cold, down-pouring rain and his tears. He couldn't actually tell if he was crying or not. It had been so long since he had cried and he couldn't seem to remember the feeling at first. He forgot how painful crying was, especially when you tried to hold them in. That wasn't the main thing he was focused on, however. He was just trying to keep breathing.

"Why?" he asked himself, his hands and knees, metal and flesh alike, digging into the sodden mud. Edward closed his eyes tight, a pathetic attempt to wake himself up from a dream that never existed. "Why did I do this?" Hadn't he learned his lesson the first time? But he hadn't been in his right mind. He had thought that somehow it would work this time. What had made him think that? He was just desperate and distraught, he supposed. Because of that, he hadn't been thinking clearly, and he did it. Now, he was giving every ounce of strength he had left in him just to keep from collapsing on the ground.

His labored breaths became huge gasps for air. His lungs felt as if they were set on fire, and it felt like someone had stabbed him in the stomach. He clutched his stomach with his right arm, the one made out of metal, in attempts to make the pain subside. It did no good, however. It only grew stronger. He tried breathing through his nose and out through his mouth, but when he did that, it only made the pain worse somehow. When the feeling that he'd vomit subsided, relief swept over him. But it was short-lived. Edward began to cough, violently and uncontrollably. He tried to stop but it just continued for what seemed like forever. With one last sputter, however, he managed to stop, his stomach muscles aching, and his throat raw. His eyes opened like creaky doors that hadn't been used in ages. He looked at the ground again, but it looked different from a few moments ago when his eyes were last open. Something had been added to the mud: something liquid, but thicker than water. It took him a moment to realize what it actually was, and when he did figure it out, his eyes widened in shock and fear.

It was blood. He had just coughed up blood.

His sore joints soon gave out underneath his weight and he fell to the ground, dirt and blood caking his face. _I'm going to die,_ he thought. _I'm dying. But it's just as well. This is my punishment. I tried to undo my last punishment and this is what it led me to. I was lucky before. Now, I'm getting what I should have gotten last time and then some. No one knows I'm out here. I'm going to die here, alone and pathetic._

From the distance, Edward thought he heard someone call his name, but he devised that his mind must have been playing tricks on him. Nobody was coming for him. He coughed a few more times, not as bad as the first time, though. As soon as it passed, he closed his eyes, exhausted. "Where the hell are you, Fullmetal?" he heard the imaginary voice say again. But Edward didn't answer it. He didn't even have enough strength to open his mouth, much less speak.

Amidst the pounding sound of the heavy rain, Edward heard another noise: a faint wheezing noise, like someone being choked to death. He had heard that noise before, years ago and once he heard it again, an image flashed in his mind. Two huge, inhuman, glowing eyes; a mangled form of a make-shift human body. His own body tensed as much as it could at the thought of it. He knew the image well. It had haunted his dreams for years, and he was sure that he would see the same thing staring back at him if he turned his head and opened his eyes. He was glad he didn't have the strength. It would be as horrific as the first time. Only this time, he had no determination, no hope. This time, he didn't try to get up or move forward. This time, all he did was lay there, weak and lifeless.

He heard the imaginary voice call his name again, temporarily muffling the choking noises from a few feet away. Edward tried his best to block both sounds from his mind, and he just listened to his staggered breaths, the ones he knew would be his last.


	2. A Gust of Wind

**AN: Hokay! So we got a good response for the introduction. Let's see if we can keep it up! I didn't really explain in full what I was planning to do with this idea, so I will now. What I'm thinking is that this is like a TV series. Every story I make will be one episode. They're going to be…oh, I don't know, ten chapter long stories. (It all depends, really.) So they're not going to be skimpy things. I'm not going to have any pointless "filler" stories. (E.g.: "A Forger's Love", "The Phantom Thief" etc.) Every story is going to be intricate to the plot. Now, if you think this is a bad idea, I can divide all the little stories in to three big stories if that's what you guys would like. Just gimme a shout if you have any personal opinions on that.**

**Ok, now my sister is a big fan of the series and she was reading the intro yesterday, and she was majorly lost. I don't know if it's that I didn't write it clear enough or that my sister is just….semantically challenged. So if it doesn't make sense, there will be a bigger explanation later, but in different episodes/stories. Ok? Good, moving on!**

**In this chapter, we're going to meet Lily and her brothers. Now, a little thing on the origins of names. Lily herself is named after Lily Potter from the Harry Potter series (seventh book comes out July 21!!!! Woot!!!!!!!!) Her older brother, David, is named after…oh wait! He's not named after anyone. Her little brother, Blake, is named after my little cousin and/or that guy on American Idol. (I don't watch American Idol that much, but I do know that I want Blake to win.) And her dog, Mustang, is named after Roy (duh), and there is a significance to that. It'll be explained in the next chapter. It's actually there for comedy purposes, so I hope that some people get a kick out of it. Again, next chapter, all will be explained about that.**

**Ok, well, that's all for now. I just realized that that was probably my longest AN ever. I've outdone myself!!!!! Yay! Sorry. On with the show!**

**Chapter One: ****A Gust of Wind**

"There we go," David Creech said as he walked into the kitchen of his and his brother and sister's new home in Resembool. "All finished unpacking. And you two thought we'd never get done."

David's younger brother, Blake, looked up from his lunch which he was eating at the table in the middle of the small room. "I knew we would, brother," the 10-year-old said. "Lily was the one who was grumbling about it." Blake was a bright-eyed young boy with brown hair and pale skin. He was a thin boy, lacking muscle, which was understandable for a boy his age. He had large ears that stuck out of his head like an elephant's, a prime target for mockery by his peers and even his older siblings.

David, on the other hand, was a very tall 20-year-old, and very handsome and muscular. His skin was darker than his little brother's and a shock of outrageous red hair that stuck out on all sides of his head. The color meshed well with his dark brown eyes. He was wearing a white button-down shirt with brown trousers, a look he frequently sported.

"You're right, aren't you?" David said. He turned to the corner of the room where his sister, Lily, was slumping against the wall.

Lily was a girl with black hair and deep brown eyes. Perched atop the bridge of her nose were a pair of thin, silver, wire-rimmed glasses that often slipped down her nose, making her occasionally push them back up, often times smushing her long eyelashes up against the lenses. For a 17-year-old girl, she was on the shorter side, but she was slim. She was wearing black pants, a black shirt, and black fingerless gloves. On the palms of the gloves, there were two white arrays sewn into the cloth. They were alchemical transmutation circles. With those two circles, if she just clapped her hands together, she could do anything alchemically possible. Without them, she'd have to draw them like ever other mediocre alchemist out there. These gave her an advantage. Lily was incredibly fascinated with alchemy and the thrill she got every time she made one thing into something new. She had been practicing alchemy for ten years now. And she was hoping that she would be good enough by the time she was 18 to take the State Alchemy Exam. Every wall in her room was covered in books on alchemy, every single one of them she had read more than once over. Even now, leaning against the wall, she had her nose buried in a rather thick volume called, "History of Alchemy", one of her favorites.

"Hey, Lily," David said, walking over to his sister sitting on the floor. "Are you even listening to us?" he asked.

Lily looked up from the chapter she had just started, ("Alchemy in the Dark Ages."), and at her brother, somewhat in a daze. "Hm? Oh, sorry, brother," she said. "I wasn't listening. What were you saying?"

"I was just telling Blake that you're going to have to sleep outside from now on, 'cause we're letting Mustang have your room," David joked.

"Very funny," Lily said, unamused. Mustang was Lily's Springer spaniel, who just so happened to be laying next to Lily, napping. Lily had gotten him when he was just a puppy a couple of years ago. Now, he was a very fat dog who never got up from a comfy place when he didn't need to. Lily didn't help with his weight issue by always feeding him her leftover table scraps.

"Ugh," David groaned. "How many times have you read this book?" He grabbed the tome out of her hand quickly so that she didn't have time to hold on to it. She grabbed at it in vain before he lifted it out of reach.

"Hey!" Lily yelled, leaping to her feet. "Give that back, you jerk!"

"Come on, Lily. You were reading this on the train ride here, _and_ while we were unpacking. Oh, wait. I'm sorry. While _I _was unpacking."

"I swear, David," Lily growled. "I'm going to kick your-."

"What? My ass?" He interrupted. "Go ahead and try. There's no way you could do anything to me."

"Oh really?" Lily smirked. She clapped her hands together promptly, activating the transmutation circles on her gloves, and touched her hands to the wall. Light glowed from her hands and before David could think anything else, the floor boards from underneath him rose into a pillar that sandwiched him between the transmuted tower of wood and the ceiling. David looked nervously over the edge. Although he tried to hide it, David was quite afraid of heights, and to his misfortune, Lily knew about this. She knew several things that triggered his pressure points, and often used them in times of sibling rivalry.

"Lily!" David yelled. "Let me down, now!"

"Give me my book back first," she demanded.

He cowered at the ground below and sighed. "Fine. There you go." He dropped the book and Lily caught it with one hand. "Will you get me down now?"

"I don't know," she said, walking around in front of him quite casually, as if taunting him with the possibility that she would keep him up there. "This is pretty entertaining. I might just leave you up there."

"Lily!"

"Oh, alright!" Lily finally said. "Big baby." She shoved the book under her arm and clapped her hands together and touched the wall again. The pillar of wood slowly made its way back to the floor and David hopped off right before the last few boards fell back into place. "There. Happy?" she asked.

"That wasn't funny," David said, trying to convince her of that, but having no luck.

"What are you talking about? You were about ready to crap your pants. It was classic!" she argued with a huge smile on her face.

"It was _kind of_ funny, brother," Blake said, with a little snicker. David shot him a dirty glare, but the boy took no offense to it and merely shrugged.

Lily wasn't as kind. "You deserve a little humiliation after what you've done to us," she scoffed.

"Look," David said, fatherly tone in his voice. "I know you hate me for moving us from Central all the way out here in Resembool, but we've been through this a dozen times now. The job I got here pays five times better than the one back home. I'm trying to help you guys."

"So, you were trying to help when you up and moved us from our home, the place where we actually had friends and a life? You had a job back in Central! We were doing just fine," Lily yelled.

"Why would I stay with a lousy job with lousy pay when I could have a job I like with pay so much higher?" David asked.

Lily scoffed. Her arguments weren't penetrating his logic no matter how hard she tried. "I hate this place," she said, running out of good rebuttals.

"We've been here a day, Lily," he said. "You can't hate it already."

"Wanna bet?" she said.

David sighed in frustration. "You're turning eighteen in a few months. If you really hate it so much here, you can move back to Central then."

"Yeah, I intend to," Lily said, walking over to the door. "Mustang, come!" she commanded the comatose dog. The pooch lifted its head at the sound of its name and realized Lily wanted him to get up. He made a grumbling noise but lazily got to his feet and trotted over to his master. Lily took his leash off the hook on the door and hooked it onto the dog's collar.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" David asked.

"Somewhere other than here," Lily said. "Talking to you makes me sick."

David kept his face at a scowl, trying to hold out longer. Lily was stubborn, he knew. Probably one of the most stubborn people he knew. He sighed heavily and rubbed his forehead. "Fine, then. Go ahead," he said, and he walked out of the kitchen.

There was a small pang of guilt in Lily's chest. David was the head of the household and had been ever since their parents died ten years before. David tried hard, but this was a pointless move on his part. She didn't care if they didn't have tons of money. They had enough to get by and even a little extra every month so that Lily or Blake could get something every once in a while. But that was how David was: always thinking with his head, never his heart. That's where most of the conflict came from between the brother and sister. She thought for a moment about going after her brother, but she heard Mustang yawn loudly and knew if she didn't get him moving soon, she'd be dragging him down the road unconscious. She sighed, opened the door and was about to leave until Blake stopped her. "Sister," he said.

She turned toward him and he had gotten up from the table. He was standing there with a very worried expression on his face. "Brother is trying to help us. Why do you think he isn't?" he asked.

Lily tried to find the correct explanation, one that would make her seem like a better person, but she couldn't think of one that didn't sound at least a little bit selfish. Instead, she only mussed his hair a little and smiled. "Maybe you shouldn't listen to what I say in these fights. Brother is probably right in this case. I just can't stand to admit it."

Blake smiled and laughed. "Well, he always does say that you can be a pain in the-."

"Okay, I said to listen to him, not repeat him," she said. "I'll see you later, okay?"

Her brother gave her a faint smile. "Okay," he agreed.

She patted his head again, then tugged on the leash. Mustang had fallen asleep and Lily had to jerk him awake. He got up with a creak and seemed to agree to come with. Lily went out the door, closing it behind her.

Outside, the air was nothing like the air in Central. In Central, it was always busy, people running around , the towering buildings, occasional cars going back and forth down the street. Here in Resembool, there were no tall buildings, no cars. It was all open space. There were green fields as far as the eyes could see: big grassy hills with houses atop them enumerated the view. Farther down the road, there was a collection of shops that seemed to serve as a downtown of sorts, if only barely. The train station was at the far edge of town, and it could only just be seen between the hills a couple miles away. It was way too open for Lily, who had grown up in Central her whole life. How was she supposed to adapt to this? She kicked her shoe in the dirt in irritation. "Man, Mustang," she said to her dog, who was scratching furiously at the back of his ear. "How are we ever going to get used to this?"

A gentle breeze blew her long black hair off of her shoulders and rustled the grass nearby, two sensations she'd never experienced before. It was peaceful, and it seemed to calm her angry thoughts into serenity. But she wasn't willing to start enjoying her stay here just because of a gust of wind. She shook her head and looked at her brown and white dog. "Come on, lazy," she said, playfully. "Race you to town!"


	3. The Boy on the Hill

**AN: Well, I didn't get as much of a turn out as I did in the Intro. I'm usually pretty happy when I get 2 or 3 reviews. I only got one! (tear) But I'm hoping that this time, I'll get more….right? (evil eye) Well, this chapter, we get Ed re-introduced, so that should make the fangirls happy. (Fangirls: YAY ED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SWOON!!!!!!!!!!) Told ya. Anyway….wow, really short AN. Huh. Oh well! Here's Chapter Two!**

**Chapter Two:**

Lily only stared at the shelf of books in front of her and sighed. "Just as I suspected," she groaned.

She and Mustang had decided to check out the town and see if there were any stores worth scouring. She walked through the shops with occasional people sauntering by once and a while, but nothing caught her eye. There were a couple of pubs, a few stores with fruit baskets outside of them, a jewelry shop. Lily saw nothing that peaked her interest at all. However, when she came further along, she spotted a store that had a large sign over it that said, "BOOKS". She instantly perked up and approached the shop with glee. She tethered Mustang to a nearby support and went in, hoping to find a book to add to her ever-expanding collection.

But she was disappointed to find that the stock was scant. Only a few rows of books were laid out in front of her and when she found the alchemy-related volumes, it disheartened her even more. "Only five books on alchemy," she grumbled to herself. "And three of them, I already have." She sighed. Taking a look at the two she didn't have, it didn't make her much happier. One of them was an out-dated copy of "A History of Alchemy" from about fifty years ago. The other was a heavy volume that was in a different language from out East. Lily knew enough of the language to tell it was about alchemy, but as far as details went, she hadn't the faintest. She sighed again. Just when she thought there was something slightly likable about this dot-on-the-map town. Shaking her head, she headed for the door.

As she was leaving, she was scanning the spines of some of the other books on her way. Just as she reached the door, the word "Alchemists" caught her eye. Lily stopped and took a look at the full title. It was called, "The State Alchemists: A Guide to the Exam and Famous State Alchemists Throughout History." She took the book out of its slot on the shelf, suddenly curious. She checked the publication date. It had been published only the year before, so it was still fairly accurate. She skimmed through the pages and convinced herself that it might be useful to get. She dug around in her pockets and scrounged up what she was pretty sure would be enough change to purchase it. She brought it up to the front counter and gave her money to the elderly clerk. Giving him the money, he counted it up and gave the nod that the pay was sufficient. "Thank you," she said, instinctively and turned around rather quickly. Without warning, she was knocked off her feet onto the ground. Her book fell out of her hands momentarily, but she quickly scooped it up.

"Oh no! I'm sorry," she heard someone say.

Lily looked up. A girl about her age with short, brown hair and large green eyes was looking down at her with concern. She was wearing a white, short-sleeved shirt and a rather short sea-foam green skirt. She held out a tanned hand to help Lily off the floor. Lily looked at it for a moment, a bit dazed still, but she soon stuck out her own hand and the girl helped her to her feet.

"Thanks," Lily said, picking up her fallen book with one hand and dusting herself off with the free one.

"No problem. I'm so clumsy sometimes. Never watch where I'm going," the girl laughed.

Lily laughed, too. "It happens to the best of us," she assured her.

"Hey, you must be new here. I haven't seen you before," the girl said excitedly.

"Yeah, my brothers and I just moved here yesterday," Lily explained, a bit taken aback by her enthusiasm.

"Oh, right! You must be the family who moved into the old Sedgewege house," she said. "My mother saw you guys unpacking yesterday. She talked to your brother, the older one. You're the Creeches, then, are you?"

"Yep. Lily Creech, at your service," Lily said, sticking out a hand for a shake.

The girl grasped her hand and they shook. "My name's Ora Tennamen. Welcome to Resembool!"

Lily gave a crooked smile.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So, you're an alchemist? That's amazing!" Ora screamed. She had followed Lily and Mustang into one of the more grassy parts of the town, both heading back toward their homes. Lily observed that Ora was a very talkative person, but she didn't mind. She liked listening to Ora talk and she liked answering her never ending questions, too. She seemed to be fascinated by all of Lily's talk of Central and the wonders of city life.

"Yep, full-fledged," Lily said, nudging Mustang in the bottom a bit because he was beginning to lag. "I've been practicing it for almost ten years now."

"Wow! That's amazing! We don't have many alchemists around here. We're mostly farmers, so it's kind of cool to hear about something other than cows and crops," Ora explained.

"There aren't any alchemists in Resembool?" Lily asked.

"Well, there are," Ora said. "But none that I can just go up and talk to. We've actually had a couple of famous alchemists come from Resembool."

"Really?" Lily said, elatedly. "Who?"

Ora hesitated, looking especially reluctant to answer the question. "Uh…er…well…" she mumbled evasively.

Lily's arm was suddenly jerked backward. Mustang had stopped suddenly to sniff a little bug on a plant nearby. "Ugh! Mustang! You nearly ripped my arm off, stupid dog!" she yelled, yanking on the leash. The obese dog didn't move an inch.

"Why's his name Mustang?" Ora asked, glad something had come up to change the subject.

Lily gave up on trying to pull the mutt away and explained. "Well, I named him after one of my favorite State Alchemists, Brigadier General Roy Mustang. He was one of the heroes of the Ishbal War, and he's in high command in Central at the moment. He's a real genius in alchemy."

"Hmm…I think I might have heard of him," Ora said.

Mustang finally took his attention off the bug and started moving along. "Well, he is quite famous," Lily gushed. "Someday, I hope to meet him." She neglected to mention the parts where they fell in love, got married, had kids, and grew old together. But she'd eventually find out. When it happened, that is.

"So, you want to become a State Alchemist, huh?" Ora asked, kicking a small pebble as they walked.

Lily nodded. "I'm only really good at reading and alchemy. And somehow I doubt there's a State reading position," she explained.

They both laughed and continued walking. The sun was beginning to go down but it was nowhere near dark yet. However, little streaks of orange and red began to seep into the blue of the sky. The wind gently blew in the tall grass of the hills and a few little birds soared by. Lily walked along without saying a word, trying to observe everything around her. The town really was beautiful. It was just too boring. Where was the excitement? The adventure? The abnormalcy? That was the thing she loved about Central. It was always busy, always changing. There was always something of interest.

Lily kept on scanning the landscape, contemplating whether to turn away and not bother examining her surroundings. However, something caught her eye and she abruptly stopped. Mustang jerked her arm forward at first but soon realized he had his golden opportunity to take a break and flopped onto the ground. Lily paid no attention, however. Her gaze was fixed on a hill, not too far off.

On the tallest hill in Lily's view, there sat a stagnant figure, partially shadowed by the setting sun. At first, Lily had thought it was a very large rock, but when she looked at it closer, she found it was something much more intriguing.

The figure was a boy about her age. His small, tough frame was curled over with his arms wrapped around his knees which were pulled up toward his chest. He was wearing a black long sleeved shirt with long black pants and bulky black combat boots. The wind was curling his long, untied, blond hair around his face and he seemed not to be bothered by it. His facial expression stayed in one position: stony and emotionless. He gazed out into the countryside, a hint of hopelessness in his large golden eyes.

_Who is he?_ Lily wondered. She stared at him for a few more passing moments, but he didn't move an inch. Lily had never seen someone sit so still, not even Mustang. What was he doing up there? What was he looking at? What was his story? Suddenly, all the intrigue she was complaining that this town was lacking came flooding toward her in a single wave.

"Lily, why'd you stop?" Ora wondered, doubling back to see what had happened to her new friend. She followed her gaze up the hill and to the boy and immediately froze. Ora looked at the boy with nervousness and back at Lily. "So, you've seen him, now," she whispered.

Lily kept her focus on the boy. "Who is he?" Lily wondered.

Ora looked hesitant again, but she sighed . "You know how I said Resembool has had some famous alchemists?" Ora said.

Lily's attention was still focused on the boy so her nod was slightly delayed.

"He's one of them," Ora said.

Lily's eyebrows shot up and she turned toward her, questions swirling through her head a mile a minute. "Who is he?" she repeated.

Ora sighed again, realizing she wasn't going to be able to get out of this conversation without an hour long explanation. "His name is Edward. Edward Elric. Once upon a time, though, he was better known as the Fullmetal Alchemist," Ora explained.

"He was a State Alchemist?" Lily asked.

"Mm-hm," Ora nodded. "The youngest State Alchemist in history, getting his license at just twelve years old. Everyone considered him to be a real genius. I've known him for a long time so I know he's brilliant. I don't know him well, but I know him enough. He and his brother were interested in alchemy pretty much since they were born. Ever since their dad left, alchemy has been their life. Or at least it was. Anyway, it all really started when their mom died nearly ten years ago. She was all Edward and his brother had left. They were alone and devastated. I would have done what they did, too. About a year after her death, they did something terrible. They attempted to bring their mother back to life."

Lily gasped. Two boys, maybe nine or ten years old, attempting human transmutation and _living_? That was unheard of. There was just no possible way.

Ora went on, knowing that since Lily was an alchemist, she didn't need to go into detail. "Edward lost his leg and his arm. Alphonse, his brother, lost his whole body. Edward was able to attach his brother's soul to a suit of armor in their father's study, but the fact that they were still alive wasn't enough for them. They wanted to go back to the way they were before. They wanted to erase their mistake somehow. And the only way Edward could think of how he could do that was to become a State Alchemist. So he took the test and got his license. Everyone was amazed, not to mention proud. It's not everyday a Resembool resident makes it into the State limelight.

"For the next three years, we didn't see Edward or Alphonse at all. There was little period where a few people said that they came back to have Ed's automail fixed, but that was only for a couple of days. I didn't really see them until a few weeks after that. I heard one day that Edward had come home in the middle of the night and that he wasn't doing very well. Apparently, he was very sick. So sick that some people were betting on whether or not he was going to live through the next night. The only thing was that no one knew what was exactly wrong with him except for the Rockbells, who he was staying with. Winry Rockbell wouldn't tell anyone anything for a whole week. Finally after a week of waiting and worrying, Winry told all of us that Ed would be ok. We were relieved and expected Ed and Al to take off again pretty quickly. They never stuck around for long.

"But they never left. One day, someone said they spotted Edward sitting on that hill, not moving the entire day. We didn't believe it until we saw it the next day. Since then, for two years, Edward's been coming out onto that hill from sunrise 'til dusk everyday since that day. Even during the winter, no matter how cold it gets. Winry gets really angry at him when he does that, since she's so worried he'll have a relapse. But if that isn't strange enough, no one has seen Alphonse since that day, either. We all are assuming that he's just too afraid to come out of the Rockbell's house, but others think….Well, they think other things. But no one really knows, except Winry and her grandmother."

Lily took all of this in with fascination. The story was amazing. How could that boy (who wasn't a boy really, she supposed) have suffered so much, gotten so much status and then thrown it all away? There was a deeper story in there somewhere, but apparently, no one knew it. She wanted to know it, though. More than anything right now.

"It's best if you don't tell anyone I told you this," Ora said. "You're new, but Winry doesn't like people gossiping about Edward."

"Winry seems to be very protective of him," Lily said, looking back on Edwards shadowed figure.

"She and her grandmother are all he has left, besides his brother. She's always been really protective of him, more in the last two year than before. She just doesn't want him to have to be concerned with what everyone is saying about him," Ora elaborated. "At least, that's my guess."

Lily nodded, but wasn't really paying any attention any more. Her focus was once again fixed on Edward. He hadn't changed or moved in that whole speech. _How can he do that?_ Lily thought. She could never sit still for that long even if she tried. He had talent, she'd give him that.

"I wouldn't get too interested," Ora warned. "Plenty of people had tried talking to him, but he never says a word. Not for two years. He just sits there, just like that. It's best you just include him as part of the town and move along. You won't waste any time that way."

Lily nodded and followed behind Ora, gaze still lingering on Edward. Even though she nodded, though, she didn't intend to stay out of this. There was a hidden story behind those golden eyes of Edward Elric's, and if Lily was going to reside in this wasteland of uneventfulness, she was going to have to do something to pass the time.


	4. The Choice to Remain

**AN: Okay, people, I told you I freak out if I don't get many reviews. I've only gotten three on the last two chapters, only by two people!!!!!! (Thank you for those.) Come on! You don't have to write me a novel! Just a little input would be neat! Thanks. **

**Anyway, I'm trying to think of ways to make this a little longer. The other episodes/stories are plenty long, but this one I just want to get done with so we can cut to the chase. So bear with me if I seem a little rushed. Okay, that's all I have to say for now. Next chapter is more Edward! Poor, poor, emo Edward. Lol! Read away!**

**Chapter Three: The Choice to Remain**

"Come on. He's got to be in here somewhere," Lily murmured to herself, flipping through the pages quickly yet thoroughly. So far, however, she hadn't seen what she was looking for.

Lily and Ora had walked back to the Creeches and they'd split up since Lily's house was on the way to Ora's. Since they separated, however, Lily hadn't been able to get her mind off of that boy on the hill, Edward. She'd tried to distract herself by holding herself up in her room and skimming through her new book at all the exam descriptions and study material, but she had a very hard time not flipping to the State Alchemists Throughout History portion. Ora had said that Edward had been a State Alchemist in the past, right? This book had been published a little over a year ago. He got his license, what, six years ago? He was bound to be in it.

She'd kept her curiosity at bay, until after about an hour of so-called "distraction", she'd given in and flipped to the back of the volume, vigorously searching for Edward Elric's name.

Lily leafed through all the pages, spotting a few names that she knew but most of them were just unimportant. Where was Edward Elric? He had made State history by being the youngest alchemist employed by the military, and he wasn't in a recent text book? There was something fishy about that.

Skimming wasn't doing much for her and she was growing impatient. Groaning in frustration, she started over at the beginning, looking over every name she came across. _Hohenheim of Light, no. Alex Louis Armstrong, the Strong-Arm Alchemist, no. Tim Marcoh, the Crystal Alchemist, no. Basque Grand, the Iron Blood Alchemist, no. Roy Must-HEY! ROY! Oh, darn it! Lost focus! Come on, Lily! Concentrate._ Finally after what seemed like ages, Lily spotted Edward's name. It was a very small article. Much smaller than the others. Probably because he was younger than the other State Alchemists and hadn't accomplished as much. But the brevity of the article surprised Lily.

**Edward Elric**

**Alias: Fullmetal**

**Age Obtained License: 12**

**Hometown: Resembool**

**History: Was the youngest person to pass the State Alchemist exam in the history of the country. Resigned his position in winter of 1915.**

So, he had resigned. Just as Ora said. But none of the other things that Ora had said were in here. Perhaps the book didn't want to delve too deep into his personal affairs. But as Lily looked through some of the other profiles, most of the others had details about their history much greater than Edward's. In fact, the reason Lily had missed it was because it was so small compared to all the others. She didn't even think it was an article the first time she saw it. Perhaps only a footnote.

_Why is there so much about all the other Alchemists, but not Edward? It says only the bare minimum here, _she thought. Lily flipped to the index (something she should have done a while ago, she realized,) and looked up Edward's name. He was there, but the only page he was mentioned on was the one with his article. Lily scratched at her black hair in confusion. It was almost as if the world was trying to forget Edward. Let him fade into the background of the world. No one in the text books talked about him. No one in Resembool even talked about him. Well, that was a different story. This Winry Rockbell character was keeping them from doing so. Lily bet that they did it all the time in the safety of their own homes. But Lily couldn't help but wonder why no one wanted to remember Edward Elric.

There was a soft knock at Lily's door. "Lily? You asleep?" she heard David's voice ask from behind it.

Lily was startled and clumsily closed the book and shoved it under her bed. She didn't want David getting on her case about buying more "useless" books. "No, I'm up. Come on in," she said.

The door creaked open and David walked in, looking much less furious than he had earlier that day. "Hey," he said quickly.

"Hi," Lily said, curling into a ball on her bed and looking at her feet.

David sighed. He knew this wasn't going to be easy for him, but… "Listen, I know you're miserable here. And I know I've been saying that this move was for the best, but now…I'm rethinking things. It was, sort of, a selfish thing to do. I mean, Blake's only ten and I'm expecting him to adjust to this whole thing well, and make new friends. He doesn't show it, but I bet deep down, he's just as upset about this whole thing as you are."

Lily snickered a bit.

David kept going. "So, I'm moving us back to Central," he said.

"What? NO!" Lily yelled, instantaneously. Two words she'd never expect she'd yell in this conversation.

David blinked in surprise. "Uh…" he mumbled. This was definitely an unexpected turn.

The truth was, after finding Edward here, Lily didn't want to leave Resembool any more. He'd sparked intrigue and excitement in her. She wanted so much to learn more about him. Not just more. _All_ about him. Find out why he was the way he was. It wasn't every day that she'd be able to uncover the secrets of one of the most famous State Alchemists ever to live. They couldn't leave Resembool. Not now.

Lily couldn't even believe she was thinking that.

Lily could see her brother's bewilderment, and cleared her throat nervously. "Ah, well…you know, we don't need to just on account of me. Blake is much better at the whole making-new-friends thing than I am, so you don't need to worry about him. And I'm not an issue either. I whine all the time about stuff like this. I'll get over it. Besides, I made a new friend today in town. I'm adjusting just fine. Really."

David was beyond perplexed. Just hours ago, she'd been screaming at him to move them back to Central, and now she _wanted_ them to stay here. Maybe it was one of those girl things where they wanted one thing one minute, and then the next minute, they wanted the complete opposite. He shook his head, thinking he'd probably never understand women and how they functioned. "Are you sure?" he asked. "Because I can get my old job back. My boss was sad to see me go."

"Sure he was," Lily said sarcastically.

"He was!" David exclaimed. The siblings both laughed. "Well, if you're sure you can survive here…"

"Oh my gosh! There's cows and grass everywhere! There's a whole _array_ of dangers awaiting me in this town!" Lily exaggerated, flailing her arms out like a helpless drowning victim.

"Alright, alright," David said. "We'll stay."

"Okay," Lily nodded.

David nodded as well. He seemed quite satisfied with his make-shift parenting skills and he turned to leave.

"David, do you know anything about Edward Elric?" Lily asked him, before she could stop herself.

David turned back around, one eyebrow raised. "Edward Elric?" he repeated.

Lily nodded again.

David furrowed his brow. His eyes unfocused, clearly glancing into the back of his thoughts. After a few moments of scanning his many memories, his face lit up and he snapped his fingers. "Oh, of course!" he exclaimed. "Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist. He was all over the news a few years ago."

"Really? You know about him?" Lily inquired.

"Mmhm. Not a ton. He was the talk of the town about six years ago. The youngest State Alchemist in history. About as old as you, actually. They say he's a real genius," David explained.

Lily's heart fell a little. "Is that all you know about him?" she wondered.

"Pretty much," he replied. "Sorry, kiddo."

She sighed. "It's alright."

"Why so interested?" her older brother asked her.

Lily stiffened a bit. "Uh…no reason. Just heard him mentioned, is all," she said.

"Oh," David said. "Well…sorry I couldn't be more of a help to you."

Lily waved a hand. "No worries. It's not important."

David smiled a kindly grin, and resumed turning away, walking out of the room and closing the door behind him.

Lily fell back on the bed, face up, head swimming with thoughts of the mysterious boy on the hill. She saw him in her mind's eye, sitting so still and undisturbed. Shaking her head, she closed her eyes, but only seemed to faintly feel the breeze that had brushed his hair forward. She sighed heavily and opened her eyes again. There was no way to escape the memory of him sitting so solitarily against the afternoon sky, looking out to the horizon, as if he were seeing for miles and into all the cities of Amestris.

_I have to find out more about him. I have to get nearer,_ she thought. She felt restless and uncomfortable just lying on her bed, thinking about him. Lily wanted to do something. She wanted to question, to explore, to take action. But how? And what action?

Lily smiled to herself and gave a little laugh. _Well, isn't it obvious?_ She asked herself. She couldn't just beat around the bush and keep questioning others about him. She still wouldn't be satisfied. No, she had to take big action.

_If I want to know about him, who knows more about Edward…than Edward?_


	5. The Real Fool

**AN: Okay, I'm sooo sorry about the long wait! Life's been hectic. Hope you enjoy Chapter Four! Comment! **

**Chapter Four: The Real Fool**

"I'll see you tomorrow, Lily!" Ora yelled.

Lily smiled and waved. "You bet!" she yelled back as she passed through the front door of her new house and closed it behind her. It was mid-afternoon. Ora had to return home to finish up her chores and Lily had to look after Blake until David came back from work. So the two had parted ways. They had spent a good chunk of the morning in town, meeting some of Ora's old friends and visiting some of the more exhilarating shops (which were few). Lily had actually enjoyed herself, amazingly. Now, it was a little after noon and the two had separated to do their duties.

However, Lily was not entirely truthful when she told Ora she had to watch Blake. Blake was ten, after all. He was more than capable of looking after himself. Lily was grateful that Ora didn't know a lot about her family. Otherwise, the fib would have never worked.

In truth, Lily was only stopping home to convince Ora that she was watching Blake instead of going over to the hill. The hill that Edward sat atop. She couldn't have Ora knowing about her plans, no matter how trustworthy she seemed. Not now, anyway. Just to be safe.

Lily stood with her back to the door, taking deep breaths. Her heart was hammering against her rib cage. _One…two…three…_she counted in her head. She needed to be sure Ora was long gone before she came out again. _Eight…nine…_she thought, but before she reached ten, anticipation got the better of her and she flung the door open.

Lily peeked her head out and looked down the road where Ora had headed. The brunette was nowhere to be seen. _And if I can't see her, then she can't see me,_ she thought. Her mouth curled into a satisfied and eager grin as she stepped back outside and began sprinting down the road, back toward the hill.

Adrenaline was coursing through her veins like water through rapids. She urged her legs to move faster, even though she was running much quicker than a normal seventeen-year-old could. The thought of getting close to Edward, a living legend and mystery, was breath-taking. Her hands were shaking as she flew down the road. The rushing air flowed through her black locks and over her pale skin, making her feel at least somewhat calm, if only minutely. Once or twice, she lost her footing ever-so slightly and tripped a little bit. She swore colorfully when she did, not wanting anything to keep her from reaching her destination.

_What will I say to him? What will I ask him?_ She wondered. She hadn't even thought of that. Well, she couldn't very well just go right out and ask, "Hey, what the heck are you doing up here?" How blunt? No, she had to build up to that. Ask the small stuff first, then work your way up.

_But wait!_ She thought. _Ora said he hasn't talked for two years!_ This was a setback. How could she find out anything about this boy if he didn't say anything? And it's not like he'd just start talking if a complete stranger showed up and started asking him questions. Lily gulped. _Maybe I should have thought this through a little more, _she thought nervously.

But it was too late to turn back now. Her feet were leading her down the soft, dirt road and she was almost there. She couldn't stop now. She was going to keep going.

About a half of a mile later, Lily stopped at the base of the tall hill with the immobile figure perched on top. Her heart was racing at light-speed, and her chest was heaving for air. _I gotta start working out more,_ she told herself. But every exhausted feeling suddenly fled as soon as she looked up at the peak of the hill.

There he was, same as yesterday. His arms were curled around his short legs that he hugged to his chest. The golden locks of hair fell around his shoulders and in front of his gold, vulnerable eyes. He was wearing the same thing he was wearing yesterday, but it didn't seem to matter. He was a painted portrait of blissful despair.

Lily couldn't wait to be painted in to that portrait.

Her nervous breaths came short as she began to ascend the hill. The grass rustled with every careful step she took. With every inch forward, her heart tightened up in her chest a bit. She could hardly recall being so excited ever in her whole life.

Lily finally reached the top, breathing in a very fresh breath of air. The atmosphere up here seemed very calm, very serene. There was wind up here, whereas on the ground, there wasn't. It felt like someone's gentle fingers, running across her cheek. She closed her eyes, reveling in the feeling. After the breeze died down, she snapped back into reality, opening her eyes and taking in the sight before her.

He was seated at least three yards away from her, only his right profile visible to her. He was smaller up close, perhaps even slightly smaller than her. From this view, a few rays of light caught on his brilliant gold strands of hair and reflected off of his equally gold eyes. Examining his features took Lily's breath away.

She took a step forward. He didn't budge.

Lily began to get nervous now. _What do I do?_ She asked herself. Should she say something? Move closer? Or should she just leave? _No,_ she thought. She had just got here. There was no way she was leaving. She wanted answers.

And there was only one way to get them.

She stepped forward again and cleared her throat. "Um…" she began. Edward made no movement, no sound, no indication that he even knew she was there. The anxiety clamped harder down on her lungs. She cleared her throat again, a bit louder this time. "Er…hi," she said.

Edward stayed as motionless as stone, his slow breathing the only indication that he was alive.

_Well, this is working out well,_ Lily thought, sarcastically. Her hope was waning already. "You're, um, Edward….right?" she asked.

He said nothing.

"I'm Lily. Lily Creech. My brothers and I just moved here," she explained.

Again, he said nothing.

Lily sighed. This was going nowhere. But what did she expect? Did she expect this boy who hadn't spoken in two years to all of a sudden open up to her, a complete stranger? It was foolish thinking. She shook her head. _I was only kidding myself,_ she thought, and turned around to leave.

But she froze after a couple steps. _Am I really going to give up that fast?_ She wondered. This was like alchemy. In order to obtain his trust, she had to give him her trust first. If she let him in first, _then_ he would let her in.

It was worth a try, right?

She gave a confident and determined nod, mind clearly made up. She'd get the answers on the mystery of Edward Elric, straight from the horse's mouth. She turned back to the boy, still in his same position. Grinning widely, she said, "Do you mind if I sit here?"

He kept silent, just as Lily suspected. With satisfaction, she did as she said she wished and sat down a couple yards away from him. "Wow," she said, gazing out over the landscape. "This view is incredible. And you get to see this every day? Lucky!"

Edward said nothing, but Lily didn't really care. As long as he wasn't rejecting her, she was happy. Sitting here beside him now, she could tell that living in Resembool might not be so awful after all.

"I think this is the start of something new," she said.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Roy Mustang couldn't take his eyes off the piece of paper. He had taken it out and laid it flat on his desk and read it. For the first time in years, he was reading the letter. He'd never replied to it, but he'd done just as it had told him.

It was late and everyone had left for the evening. Even his faithful lieutenant, Riza Hawkeye, was gone. For some reason, the fact that he was alone made him want to read the letter more. It had been tugging at the back of his mind for a while. A few months earlier, things had been pretty hectic at Central headquarters, but now that the stress was waning, Roy's mind had cleared considerably.

For the first time in a long time, Roy had thought about Edward Elric.

Roy remembered very well the first time that he'd seen Edward. There had been letters coming up all over the place to a missing State Alchemist, Hohenheim of Light, from his children, Edward and Alphonse Elric. With this, the military might have thought that the two could know something about Hohenheim's whereabouts. So, he was sent off to Resembool to find the two. But when he'd arrived there, Edward was suffering from two severed limbs and Alphonse was a soul in a suit of armor. Though the results of their failed human transmutation were not considered successful, Roy was amazed that the two had survived in the first place. That impressed him. He told the two to stop by Central if they were at all interested in a State Alchemist position. He'd never really expected them to actually show up a year later, but it was all the better for him. He got brownie points for recruiting new military members and it was one step closer to his future of being the Furher President of Amestris.

Edward had only served in the military a few years before he resigned. Something had happened. He and Alphonse had been on to something, something very important. To get the information needed to blow that something wide open into the public eye, they needed to get into the old abandoned Laboratory Five. They broke into it one night….but only Edward came out alive.

Roy's last memories of the boy were gray and dismal. He'd seen him after the incident, and he wished he hadn't. So much hurt and sorrow on one boy's face. It was reliving the hell he'd seen in Ishbal. It was intensified with Edward, though. He knew Edward, unlike those devastated by the Ishbal War. It hit him harder with Edward, though he didn't think it possible.

Roy had seen him last when he brought him back to his home town. That was the worst of it all. He tried not to think about all that, though. The events were too messy.

After about two months of hearing nothing from Winry Rockbell and her grandmother, he finally received a letter from Winry. He thought that it was only giving him an update on Edward, but there was more to it. Much more to it. It read:

Dear Colonel Roy Mustang,

I hope you're doing well. It's been a while since I've seen you last, and you're no doubt wondering about Edward's condition. He's doing well. As well as we can expect, anyway. He's lost some weight and he hasn't been talking much, but he's doing okay. I'm only glad that he isn't reacting more extravagantly. I want to thank you again for taking him home and sticking by his side through this ordeal. He may not say it, but it means a lot to him And a lot to me.

However, I'm not only writing to inform you on Edward's current status. I'd like to make a request. If it's not within your reach, I understand. But I would like you to try. What I ask of you, Colonel, is to keep information about Edward as secretive as you can. Try to suppress any more news coverage on the whole ordeal and, if you could, try to keep his military records under lock and key. I don't want anyone bothering him. He's been through a traumatic experience and he doesn't need any harassment from anyone. I know, perhaps, that I'm being too protective, but if you were in my place, I'm sure you would react the same way. If it's within your power, please do this for me. I don't want Edward hurt any more.

I hope this was helpful, and I hope you are able to do something about my request. Thank you once again.

Sincerely,

Winry Rockbell

And a strange thing occurred: Roy headed her request. All information on Edward Elric was kept confidential. Many military servicemen were told not to give out any information to any one. Edward's life was kept completely in the dark from everyone. Including Mustang. He hadn't heard about him ever since then, two years ago. He'd hardly even thought about it.

But something that day had stimulated him to take out the old letter that he kept hidden in his desk drawer and read it over again. He'd memorized practically every letter on that page, but he still couldn't resist taking it out and looking it over one last time. In a way, it was his last connection to the boy. The stupid boy who'd sacrificed his own arm and leg for his mother and brother. The idiotic kid who'd gone through automail surgery and rehabilitation to become a State Alchemist, to get his brother's body back for him. The boy was a moron, an absolute imbecile.

Or was he? Who was the real fool: Edward or Roy? Well, that was obvious. It was Roy. Edward was nothing short of a hero, but Roy? Sure, they all called him a hero, for what he did in Ishbal. But he was nothing like that. He'd only killed innocent people so that this government could oppress even more. He'd never sacrificed a thing. Not one. He was the fool, thinking that he was anything special for being a so-called "hero."

He furrowed his dark eyebrows. Acting on a small impulse, he opened his top draw of his desk, and pulled out a piece of stationary. He had never replied to the letter Winry had sent so many years ago. Setting the page down on the desk, he grabbed a pen and touched it to the page, but he paused.

Roy remained frozen there for another moment or so before he sighed. He set the pen down, and put the sheet back in the drawer. Slamming it closed, he shook his head and stood up from his desk, clicking the desk lamp off as he did.

He really was a coward, not even able to write a ridiculous letter.


End file.
